DescriptionEarlier this year I did a series of calls entitled “No Person Is An Island”. If you pick up my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations, you’ll see me use that term a number of times.

Business success is often linked to our relationships. And the saying “no person is an island” reflects that we operate in connection with others, even if we feel isolated as a remote worker.​If we are part of a team, it’s likely that we have a boss, peers, and even those we manage. We also may need to interface with both internal and external stakeholders on a regular basis.

Questions to consider:

Who do you have in your relationship web?

Who are the key partners you relate with on a regular basis?

What’s important about that relationship? What do they value? What are their priorities? What is important to communicate with them?

ActivityFor each key relationship, work through the questions listed here.

For more on this topic check out:Check out the Top 20 Activities in PlanDoTrack, as well as the Relationship Mapping Exercise.

DescriptionIn the remote space we may find ourselves buffeted by meetings at all times of the day. Are they the most effective? Get into the practice of asking yourselves the 8 Essential Meeting Questions in advance of each meeting.

Meetings may consume upwards of 40% of managers’ days and they are needed, especially in the remote space. What can we do to make sure they are effective?For many years now I’ve been sharing these five tips with those leaders, team members and facilitators I work with, who are looking to amp up their meeting muscles. These were originally published in Teams365 #960. Read it here.

Five quick tips for making meetings more effective include:​1. Be clear on the purpose of the meeting. Is a meeting the best way to handle this?

2. Be clear on who needs to be at the table. Does everyone need to be there for the full meeting? Who might be needed in order to provide information? Decisions? Authority? Make sure you know who will need to be there or else it may mean another meeting. Having everyone there all the time may actually slow the meeting down. At this point, you will want to start considering who needs to be there, when.

3. What is the outcome you desire? What are the 3-5 tangible takeaways you want from the meeting? This question will help to reinforce what the purpose is, and who really should be at the table.

4. What decisions have been made? What outcomes are expected, and what are the timelines? Who is responsible for doing this? Tracking it? Reporting on it? What will follow up look like? Being granular in this stage is key to success. Many times, it is glossed over. Be sure to leave sufficient time to summarize key decisions made, and implications of this.

5. Keep to time. Time management is an art form with effective meetings. Being too lax with time can lead to frustration and disengagement. If timing tends to fall off, assign someone a timekeeper role, and put your stronger facilitator in the chair seat to keep the meeting moving. Tangents don't always benefit meetings.The cost of NOT undertaking meetings is high. What’s the right balance for your team in terms of sharing information and also making them most efficient?

For more on this topic check out: Effective Virtual Conversations Chapter 9 – In Focus: Virtual Meetings of All Stripes

DescriptionCommunication is one of the cornerstones of exceptional remote work. What can you do to boost your communication skills in service to your clients?

Communication can take many forms as a remote worker – from text, to instant messaging, to voice mails left in Voxxer, to messages in Slack.

Part of the challenge of remote work is learning the right communication channel for the right type of message. Sending an important message to our boss for discussion is likely to be better done by phone or email than IM. Sharing a quick tip with a co-worker who needs a response NOW is probably better done in a quick IM than a full-blown email.​Basic components for communication:

There are two parts to communication – the message and what’s interpreted. What are you doing to check in that your message was received as it was intended?

Be clear with your request – what are you asking people to take action on?

Another key layer is to also think about people’s preferences. What is the best channel for the message and the person?

ActivityConsider your most important communication messages this week.Ask yourself:

What is the key message I need to communicate?

What is the best channel?

How will I check for understanding?

How do I reinforce it?

For more on this topic check out:Communication in general is the main focus of my 2017 book, Effective Virtual Conversations. Be sure to read the relevant chapters – for example, chapters 9 – 11 if you are a virtual or remote team, or

DescriptionStrengths based leadership asserts that each individual has innate talents and things they can do exceptionally well. Our top strengths are a unique fingerprint and in combination create “unique superpowers”.

As a remote worker we may find ourselves leaning into work that is more aligned with our strengths. A challenge can be finding others to collaborate with who we can work with to round out of weaknesses. Research continues to show that it’s easier to grow our strengths than our weaknesses. As a remote worker the reality may be that we have tasks we HAVE TO DO and can’t delegate or defer. What can we do overtime to possibly rebalance our work focus?

ActivityComplete a strengths assessment so you can learn more about what you are innately talented in. You might consider completing online assessments including VIA Strengths from Positive Psychology OR StrengthsFinder 2.0. Use your browser to see if these would be of interest.

Need to KnowConsider your strengths in light of what you do every day.How are your strengths helping you? Hindering you?As you consider the work you do with others, what do you know of notice about their strengths and preferences?What might you need to magnify or minimize in order to relate with them better?

So what? – What’s important about this topic?Understanding our strengths and how we might overleverage them is an important part of remote worker’s self-awareness. When things are busy, uncertain or stressful, it’s likely that we may lean into our strengths. Sometimes strengths become over leveraged and create a blindspot. Consider where you might be overleveraging or over utilizing your strengths.

For more on this:Check out section 1 and section 4 of PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder. Section 4 asks you to consider the strengths that you bring, also in combination with your values and opportunities.

This is a rich body of work you will want to explore as a leader of a team. Be sure to check out some of these books:Go, Put Your Strengths to Work – Marcus BuckinghamStrengths-Based LeadershipStrengthsFinder2.0

DescriptionMotivation usually has several components – internal and external factors.

Internal factors include our own preferences. We do something because we love to do it or want to learn. External factors are when we do something because of an external impact – we are going to get rewarded, or praised, or even punished.

What drives you? Where do you get your motivation in work?

Regardless of the source, knowing what motivates us, and what doesn’t, is critical for remote workers. While we work autonomously, if we are not self-motivated, it can have an impact.

What are the elements which are going to keep you moving forward, and excited, with your work? What’s going to get you out of bed in the morning? What’s going to replace the water cooler talk?​Self-motivation can be critical for remote workers given that we are working in isolation.

ActivityTake some time this week to think about the things that have helped you move projects across the finish line. From this list below, what were the factors which helped you?

Questions to consider:

What are the flags which might signal that you are in lower levels of motivation?

What are the elements which can signal that you are in flow – insert what you need for flow to occur?

What inspires you?

What helps you go “above and beyond”?

When do you know that it’s time to stop?

For more on this:Check out the Iceberg exercise in section 1 of PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder.Be clear on what your motivators are. Inquire about others on your team.Some additional resources around motivation include writing from authors including:Maslow, Daniel Pink - Drive

DescriptionOur values act as anchors and help us with decision making and prioritization. When we act in alignment with our values, professionals may find a higher degree of satisfaction. For example, if I hold a value of freedom, I may thrive in a work place where I have the freedom to determine HOW I do the work, WHEN I do the work, and in what fashion I do the work. While I still may be responsible for end results, being in control of what I do and don’t do may be invaluable.

ActivityTake a look at the list of 200 values included on the Coaching Business Builder website. As you review them consider these questions:

What are the values you hold true? As you review your top 5 values, which ones are non-negotiable?​What can you do to adjust your work and flow in order to live more by your values?

Need to KnowValues serve as an anchor for us. They will help us with prioritization, delegation and overall career planning.

So what? – What’s important about this topic?Values are not just an individual framework. Teams have values too. On a remote team it can be very important to identify the values which shape the team (not the individuals).

These values will inform the BEHAVIORS people undertake. In turn the BEHAVIORS influence the RESULTS we get.

Discussion around values as a team, is not just a “nice to have” but an essential discussion.

For more on this:Check out section 1 and section 4 of PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder. Section 1 gets to you to explore what behaviors flow out of your values. Again, if you have a value of freedom, what behaviors does it lead to? How can that help and/or hinder your work and relationships with others in the remote space?

Welcome to the Remote Pathways 52 weeks series! Each week I’ll be bringing you an installment. Part of the tagline of my writing in the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner is that Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum. I hope that these weekly prompts will provide you with short, manageable action steps you can take weekly, which will create some momentum over the course of the year.

ActivityThis week’s activity gets you connected with your vision for the year. Perhaps you’ve already created your vision but have put it away. Maybe you haven’t taken time to work on it yet. Spend 15-30 minutes working through the following vision questions:

Need to KnowDon’t just go through this exercise and forget it. You may want to condense your focus onto a one pager that you can keep it visible throughout the year.I just wrapped up a coaching session with a group who had gone through a similar exercise last year at this time. One of the major success factors they mentioned was “keeping their vision visible throughout the year”. Visions help us through the ups and downs. They are the big picture we reach towards.So what? – What’s important about this topic?Our vision can help to clarify where we focus and what we say “no” to. A compelling vision will help our prioritization and focus. As Seneca wrote in Ancient Greece, “If a [person] knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”

Where to go?If you have a copy of PlanDoTrack, check out the Vision Questions on page 99.

Now What? What will you do?Take time today to either revisit your vision or work on your vision. Make it visible.

Author

The Remote Pathways blog follows many of the themes we explore in the Remote Pathways Podcast. This year (2020) we're proud to bring you a 52 week-series for you to follow along throughout the year. Posts are penned by co-host Jennifer Britton, an avid award-winning blogger for many years. Jennifer is the author of five books. Visit her author page on Amazon.Enjoy!